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Tickets of leave / Certificates of freedom / Pardons

Convicts were normally sentenced to seven or 14 year terms but others had sentences ranging from 10 years to life. About half the convicts were transported for seven years, and a quarter were sentenced for 14 years.

If they were well behaved, convicts were not usually required to serve out their full term and could apply for a:

ticket of leave

certificate of freedom

conditional pardon; or

an absolute pardon.

With good conduct, a convict serving a seven year term usually qualified for a ticket of leave after four or five years, whilst those serving 14 years could expect to serve between six to eight years. 'Lifers' could qualify for their conditional pardon after 10 or 12 years.

A convict was required to carry their ticket of leave at all times.

Online

Indexed and fully digitised Tickets of leave butts, 1824-1867 are avalable on Ancestry via the Library's eResources (accessible inside the Library building). Your local public library might also provide access to Ancestry.

Ticket of leave

A ticket of leave allowed convicts to work for themselves provided that they remained in a specified area, reported regularly to local authorities and attended divine worship every Sunday, if possible. They could not leave the colony.

Certificate of freedom

A certificate of freedom was issued at the completion of a convict's sentence, as proof he/she was a free person. They were free to travel anywhere, and could return to the United Kingdom (if they could afford it!).

Conditional pardon

A conditional pardon allowed convicts with life sentences freedom of the colony, but they were not allowed to return to the UK.

Absolute pardon

An absolute pardon gave a 'lifer' complete remittance of sentence. The convict had freedom of the colony and could return to the UK.